End Game
by Starladoll86
Summary: The missing parts of how Mike was offered the Joffrey scholarship and how Tina finds out how he really feels about her. All about Tike!


We all quickly walked off the stage after performing our last song at this year's Nationals. There was no way we wouldn't be in the top 10 and we were going to win this no problem. The whole group knew exactly how much we would have to do to get this far and weren't afraid to fight for it all year. It was still really exhilarating to show everyone that we could do and do it perfectly. No longer were we the group that caused others to laugh or look down on us because we weren't good enough. They would have to look at us with envy now.

I barely passed the curtain before Mike turned around to pick me up and swing me around with excitement. It was clear in our energy that we all knew how well we had done. "That was amazing! I think we really won this thing!" Rachel was going around our group shouting along with something about she came to see her. I wasn't paying much attention because Mike had all of his focus on my eyes and it was impossible for me to see anything else. "You were great out there." He laughed and set me back on the ground but still kept his arms around me. "You were far more brilliant. That was some killer dancing on your part and I can say without a doubt that you are my favorite Troubletone." He bent down to give me a kiss when we heard Mr. Shue's voice get louder. "He should be right over here, yep there he is. Go figure he is kissing his girlfriend." He walked up to Mike and I who currently had our lips stuck together but slowly pulled them away from each other as he approached us with a lady walking behind him.

"Mike, Tina this is Mrs. James from Joffrey. She came to see us perform and to see if Mike's dance skills are as great in person as they are on tape." "It's an honor to meet both of you" She said shaking both of our hands but Mike looked like he was about to pass out. This was one of his top schools that he had wanted to apply to. I even remember this application when I sent it out for him. He had to answer the question of why he loved to dance for his essay. The answer had surprised me, it said that it made him feel free and that it lets the people he cares most about see the real him. That was the exact reasons as to why I loved watching him dance and why I love him. How could he have possibly been thinking the same things that I was?

"That was an amazing performance I saw on the stage and your director has informed me that you were one of the main choreographers of this performance." "Yes, that's correct. We all like to contribute but there are about 4 of us that do the main choreography." "So not only are you incredibly talented as a dancer, but you are also a wonderful in visionary. That is actually very rare for current dancers. Most of them now just want to know the steps to hit and hear how wonderful they are." "Thank you very much. That means a lot to me seeing as I actually haven't been dancing very long." "Well that doesn't show at all. My office and I thought your tape was amazing and you certainly don't disappoint in real life. How you picked a college yet?" "I've had a few offers but nothing really stands out just yet. I'm still working on some things." He told her and I briefly saw him glance down to me. Here we go again. I've told him a million times not to base his decision on me and that he should go to New York if he truly wanted to but the boy never listens to me. I would have to give him a talk to when we get back to the hotel.

"Well your college career is a big step and you are wise to think of everything before you make your final decision but I would like to add to that pile of yours. I came here today prepared to offer you a full ride scholarship to Joffrey next year if you would be interested. Our school thinks you are one of the finest talents this year and would be honored to have you attend." Mr. Shue, Mike, and I stared at her like she was a complete ghost. "Are you serious? You want me that bad?" "We sure do. You are a very rare gift Mike and we want to help you with that. Please give me a call anytime to let me know you decision." She handed him a packet of information with her business card stapled on the front cover. "You are actually quite an amazing dancer yourself Ms. Cohen-Chang. I saw you in the videos as well since you are pair with Mike quite often. Give me a call next spring and we will see about getting you into our school as well if you would want to that is. I look forward to your call Mike." She bowed her head and walked away from us.

GLEE

Mike and I spent every bit of free time we had after that reading through his information he had received trying to learn everything about the school before we headed home tomorrow and he would tell his parents the good news. After we won the competition though, that news quickly got overshadowed causing Mike and I to not really have our own conversation about it. I know we are only high schoolers right now but we have been together for two years and I know my thoughts have an impact on his life. No matter how much I tell him they shouldn't. Neither of us is ready to end what we have just because we won't be able to see each other every hour of every day for 9 months. And where ever he ends up also has a small part of where I will end up next year too. We are becoming adults now and it is time for us to think about our future lives together that aren't dictated by what our parents say we can and can't do. We needed to have a real grown up conversation about all of this and lucky for me; I meet him by the ice machine every night at 9 to talk before our 930 curfew.

"Oops, looks like we are out of ice again. I guess I will go get some more for us and be back soon." I told everyone else in the room as I looked at the bucket that was now empty since I threw the rest of the ice out in the sink an hour ago. "Be sure you tell Mike hi for us." Santana said not looking up from her spot on the bed where she was filing her nails. "Yeah, we know about your night time escapades. Just think, next year when you dash out at night to meet him, it will probably be to his own room since he will no longer be a simple high school student." She finished with a look in her eye that reminded me a little of Cruella deVille. I rolled my eyes and headed out into the hallway. The ice machine was just a few steps down from the boys' room and around the corner from the girls. I had just made my way around the turn when I saw Mike walking the few steps and was about to holler out his name before Finn came rushing out of the room just three steps ahead of me. Quickly, I ran back around the corner and just stood there waiting for the coast to clear.

"Hey Mike, can I talk to you for a second?" "Sure what's going on?" "Why did you tell Sam and Puck that you plan on going to Joffrey instead of NYU? Wouldn't it be better if you went to New York with your talent?" "After talking to Mrs. James today, I'm very certain that I will be coming up here next year. The only reason I didn't tell her yes today back stage was that I want to discuss it with my parents and Tina first." "It's not like Tina can follow you though. Why are you getting her opinion? Shouldn't it be about what is best for you?" "It's like that when you don't have someone else in your heart that you want to share your plans with. I know Tina doesn't want me to choose something closer just because of her but actually it's because I want to. I don't want to be 4 states away from her for 9 months." "Even if that choice means that you might never get to where you want to go in your career?" "I have wanted to be a dancer for as long as I can remember but in the last two years I have had a new dream start to form that only contains a small part of dancing. My new dream is Tina. Careers can come and go but she won't. Yes dancing for my profession would make me deliriously happy, but even that wouldn't matter if Tina wasn't around to share it with."

"How can you know at 18 who you are meant to spend the rest of your life with? I mean I know I'm engaged to Rachel but we have our ups and downs all the time. How is it possible that you and Tina have survived this long and stayed together without any break ups?" "We don't let petty things get in the way of us being together. I usually do something out of line and she informs me I'm being an idiot then we work out what was wrong. It also helps that we were up front about everything in our lives since day one. The end of the day though, it would feel as close to death as I could imagine if she weren't near me and that isn't a feeling I'm willing to live without anytime soon. She has helped me become myself and has helped others to accept me even though they really didn't want to. You just can't find that kind of love anywhere."

"Where is all of this coming from Finn?" "Rachel keeps making all of these New York plans for us and we aren't even sure that we will be going to school there. I do love her but there are other things I want to do with my life besides sing and dance all day. If I don't follow her though I know we will end up falling apart. I'm just not sure if we have the kind of love that would keep us together. That is what scares me the most. That we will plan our lives together and one of us will end up being unhappy and start to resent the other. I just want to know how you know you and Tina will survive all of this." There was a long pause before Mike answered. "Do you see Rachel as your current love or your end game?" "My what?" "Ok, there are two completely different types of love as I've come to find out. There is the type of love I classify as right now love or friendship love. It's the type that means that you deeply care for the person you are saying it to. That they hold a special place in your heart that can never be erased or forgotten about. The same type of love that caused Puck to say he loves us with the shot glasses or that I love everyone in this club including you and Rachel. I will never forget the two of you for as long as I live but I don't want to marry either of you. Tina, though, is my end game. She is the one that I see in all of my future plans. She is the one that can never be erased for me because it would cause me physical harm. I couldn't breathe, speak, or exist without her right next to me."

"You sound so sure." "I am sure. These last two years were amazing and they were all because of Tina. She brought me to life in the best ways possible. When I think back about our sophomore year and how I spent all that time always keeping a few feet or inches away from her, I want to hit myself. I wish there was some way to go back in time and kiss her the first time I saw her so we wouldn't have wasted that whole year. Tina is my life Finn. I will never want anyone more than her or love anyone more for that matter. It's just a question if you love Rachel that much. And don't tell Tina, but one of the biggest reasons I want to go to Joffrey is because of her. I want to be only four hours away from her." There was silence again as I looked around the corner and the two guys were just sitting there against the wall next to the ice machine.

It hit me like a ton of bricks then at just how much Mike loved me. I always knew he loved me and how much I loved him but it was something else to hear him actually say these words out loud. This was for real for him. We were going to be the couple that everyone will call high school sweethearts and will have all of the glee members at our wedding singing to us. He loved me enough that he has thought about our future and knows that he wants me in it. He wants me to be his wife, the mother to his kids. Tears started rolling down my cheeks then as the realization started to hit home for me. Mike felt for me the exact same way I felt for him and it was the best feeling in the world. I had thought before about what it would be like to come home to him every night and to watch our children growing up before us. Mike Chang was my end game love too.

"Well thanks for talking to me Chang. I'll see you inside in a bit." I heard Finn say and heard the door close a few seconds after that. Turning back around the corner, I saw Mike standing up and then turned toward me just as I was two feet away. "Hey, you didn't forget…" He stopped talking when I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed tight. Automatically he put his arms around my waist and hugged me back just as tight. "Are you crying babe? Is everything ok?" I couldn't talk with all of the emotions running through me that most of which I had never felt before right now. So, I ended up just nodding my head against his shoulder. "You heard the conversation I had with Finn?" I nodded again and tighten my grip as he did the same around my wait. "You are my end game too Mike."

**I don't own anything Glee just love the show! This is just a short story that has a little bit of my life mixed into it as well. I hope you all really enjoy it! Thanks **


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